Watchdog Seeks Labor Rights For Thailand's Bar Girls

[george]

Watchdog seeks labor rights for Thailand's bar girls

BANGKOK: -- Since Kaew started her job as a Bangkok "entertainment girl" four months ago, she's never received the full salary she was promised, much less benefits like medical insurance or social security.

"I'm owed 4,000 baht [uS$107] a month, but in fact I only receive about 1,500 baht," said Kaew, who goes by only her nickname to protect her privacy because she's ashamed of her profession.

But because the 22-year-old works as a bar girl amid the neon lights of one of Bangkok's most notorious red-light districts, she's never dared complain.

That could change as activists and members of the National Human Rights Commission try to extend labor rights to Thailand's infamous bars and nightclubs.

Some 300,000 women are believed to work in Thailand's vast nightlife business, which despite the country's reputation as a free-wheeling holiday destination, carries significant social stigma among Thais.

"They always feel that they are in a lower class compared with other people. They will not fight for themselves," said Naiyana Supapung, a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

"Their bosses do not want to fight for them either, because their businesses are seen as affecting our morals. They don't want to be questioned by society," she said.

Thailand once marketed itself as an anything-goes vacation spot, but in recent years has tried to clean up its image.

The government toughened penalties on prostitution in 1996 -- although these are rarely enforced -- and imposed closing hours on nightclubs in 2001.

But those changes have done little for the women who work in nightclubs, where activists say they labor in venues that fail to meet safety standards or provide guarantees on salaries and benefits.

Concerns over nightclub safety at have risen since a fire ripped through the Route 999 disco in a seedy part of the beach resort town of Pattaya and killed eight people.

All of those killed were working for the disco. Reports at the time said that the owners had chained the fire exits shut to prevent people from sneaking into the club.

Chantawipa Apisuk, the director of the Center for Sex Workers' Protection, said inane issues can also pose serious safety concerns -- like the decision by police in the northern city of Chiang Mai to ban poles for dancing in strip clubs.

Dancers in Chiang Mai now have to use handstraps hanging from the ceiling, but Chantawipa said that has raised the risk of injuries for women dancing in heels on countertops.

Other bars provide no toilets for their staff, or charge them fees to use the bathrooms.

The women working in the clubs are often intimidated into silence because bar owners are required by law to fingerprint them when they take their jobs, using the same forms that police do when processing suspects in a crime, she said.

That practice intimidates the women working there, who fear they could be easily prosecuted if they fail to obey their bosses, Chantawipa said.

And since many of the women are paid under the table, they have little recourse if they are underpaid, much less the right to seek benefits like health insurance.

"Workers who work in the entertainment business do not count as employees, so they are not covered by labor laws," Chantawipa said.

"They should be treated the same as any company's employees -- they also work eight hours a day," she said.

--AFP 2006-09-05

[Laulen]

It is a sad state of affairs, and another example of the 'marketplace' of pure business with no other rules or regulations.

Perhaps this explains why it is that the British Embassy are one of the busiest embassies in the world for processing visas of Thai females.

Laulen

[kat]

sad state, indeed.

[Backpack_thailand]

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so surely there are no prostitutes...!!!

If there are no prostitutes then why is there a call for labour rights for people who don't exist..??

[kat]

I guess that's what the fingerprinting is all about when they take the job. Problem is, why is it only the bargirls who are being fingerprinted

[britmaveric]

Likelyhood of this happening is rather remote I'm afraid.

[sonthaya]

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so surely there are no prostitutes...!!!

If there are no prostitutes then why is there a call for labour rights for people who don't exist..??

We are talking about " bargirls " the fact she works in a bar doesn't make her a prostitute, try to get your facts right, there is many "nice" girls working in the bars

[sonnyJ]

It might be good to make it an international issue, but whta are the chances that Thailand would be forced to do anything about this.

Labor rights?

Have you ever heard of a under 30 y-o worker, no matter the profession, not being forced to work over the hours without any extra pay every once a awhile?

[IMA_FARANG]

Likelyhood of this happening is rather remote I'm afraid.

Rather remote is an understatement. There is however a sex workers union known as COYOTE. At one time they were trying to organise in BKK. Don't think that lasted long.

[IMA_FARANG]

Watchdog seeks labor rights for Thailand's bar girls

BANGKOK: -- Since Kaew started her job as a Bangkok "entertainment girl" four months ago, she's never received the full salary she was promised, much less benefits like medical insurance or social security.

"I'm owed 4,000 baht [uS$107] a month, but in fact I only receive about 1,500 baht," said Kaew, who goes by only her nickname to protect her privacy because she's ashamed of her profession.

But because the 22-year-old works as a bar girl amid the neon lights of one of Bangkok's most notorious red-light districts, she's never dared complain.

That could change as activists and members of the National Human Rights Commission try to extend labor rights to Thailand's infamous bars and nightclubs.

Some 300,000 women are believed to work in Thailand's vast nightlife business, which despite the country's reputation as a free-wheeling holiday destination, carries significant social stigma among Thais.

"They always feel that they are in a lower class compared with other people. They will not fight for themselves," said Naiyana Supapung, a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

"Their bosses do not want to fight for them either, because their businesses are seen as affecting our morals. They don't want to be questioned by society," she said.

Thailand once marketed itself as an anything-goes vacation spot, but in recent years has tried to clean up its image.

The government toughened penalties on prostitution in 1996 -- although these are rarely enforced -- and imposed closing hours on nightclubs in 2001.

But those changes have done little for the women who work in nightclubs, where activists say they labor in venues that fail to meet safety standards or provide guarantees on salaries and benefits.

Concerns over nightclub safety at have risen since a fire ripped through the Route 999 disco in a seedy part of the beach resort town of Pattaya and killed eight people.

All of those killed were working for the disco. Reports at the time said that the owners had chained the fire exits shut to prevent people from sneaking into the club.

Chantawipa Apisuk, the director of the Center for Sex Workers' Protection, said inane issues can also pose serious safety concerns -- like the decision by police in the northern city of Chiang Mai to ban poles for dancing in strip clubs.

Dancers in Chiang Mai now have to use handstraps hanging from the ceiling, but Chantawipa said that has raised the risk of injuries for women dancing in heels on countertops.

Other bars provide no toilets for their staff, or charge them fees to use the bathrooms.

The women working in the clubs are often intimidated into silence because bar owners are required by law to fingerprint them when they take their jobs, using the same forms that police do when processing suspects in a crime, she said.

That practice intimidates the women working there, who fear they could be easily prosecuted if they fail to obey their bosses, Chantawipa said.

And since many of the women are paid under the table, they have little recourse if they are underpaid, much less the right to seek benefits like health insurance.

"Workers who work in the entertainment business do not count as employees, so they are not covered by labor laws," Chantawipa said.

"They should be treated the same as any company's employees -- they also work eight hours a day," she said.

--AFP 2006-09-05

they also work eight hours a day

Been many years since I knew working girls, but I would be very surprised if they now work an 8 hour day. 1 pm to 2 am was more like it.

[joe beets]

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so surely there are no prostitutes...!!!

If there are no prostitutes then why is there a call for labour rights for people who don't exist..??

We are talking about " bargirls " the fact she works in a bar doesn't make her a prostitute, try to get your facts right, there is many "nice" girls working in the bars

Is that what she told you?

jb

[OlRedEyes]

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so surely there are no prostitutes...!!!

If there are no prostitutes then why is there a call for labour rights for people who don't exist..??

We are talking about " bargirls " the fact she works in a bar doesn't make her a prostitute, try to get your facts right, there is many "nice" girls working in the bars

Is that what she told you?

jb

Most girls working in the bars started out as nice girls. Many stay nice girls. Between having to put up with the crap from the owners of the establishments, societies' attitudes towards them, the crap from many patrons and the generally shitty life most have to live, I am amazed how nice they manage to stay on the whole. I respect them.

Edited September 7, 2006 by OlRedEyes

[Head Snake]

Hey guys, remember its primarily for the local bargirls. There's much more than what is described as tourist activity.

As such, perhaps bars who employ bargirls should collect and save proportional money for healthcare. Just up the price to the customers. Once word gets around that certain bars do this for their employees, .........

sorry. I was dreaming again.

[Pattayatony]

Watchdog seeks labor rights for Thailand's bar girls

BANGKOK: -- Since Kaew started her job as a Bangkok "entertainment girl" four months ago, she's never received the full salary she was promised, much less benefits like medical insurance or social security.

"I'm owed 4,000 baht [uS$107] a month, but in fact I only receive about 1,500 baht," said Kaew, who goes by only her nickname to protect her privacy because she's ashamed of her profession.

But because the 22-year-old works as a bar girl amid the neon lights of one of Bangkok's most notorious red-light districts, she's never dared complain.

That could change as activists and members of the National Human Rights Commission try to extend labor rights to Thailand's infamous bars and nightclubs.

Some 300,000 women are believed to work in Thailand's vast nightlife business, which despite the country's reputation as a free-wheeling holiday destination, carries significant social stigma among Thais.

"They always feel that they are in a lower class compared with other people. They will not fight for themselves," said Naiyana Supapung, a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

"Their bosses do not want to fight for them either, because their businesses are seen as affecting our morals. They don't want to be questioned by society," she said.

Thailand once marketed itself as an anything-goes vacation spot, but in recent years has tried to clean up its image.

The government toughened penalties on prostitution in 1996 -- although these are rarely enforced -- and imposed closing hours on nightclubs in 2001.

But those changes have done little for the women who work in nightclubs, where activists say they labor in venues that fail to meet safety standards or provide guarantees on salaries and benefits.

Concerns over nightclub safety at have risen since a fire ripped through the Route 999 disco in a seedy part of the beach resort town of Pattaya and killed eight people.

All of those killed were working for the disco. Reports at the time said that the owners had chained the fire exits shut to prevent people from sneaking into the club.

Chantawipa Apisuk, the director of the Center for Sex Workers' Protection, said inane issues can also pose serious safety concerns -- like the decision by police in the northern city of Chiang Mai to ban poles for dancing in strip clubs.

Dancers in Chiang Mai now have to use handstraps hanging from the ceiling, but Chantawipa said that has raised the risk of injuries for women dancing in heels on countertops.

Other bars provide no toilets for their staff, or charge them fees to use the bathrooms.

The women working in the clubs are often intimidated into silence because bar owners are required by law to fingerprint them when they take their jobs, using the same forms that police do when processing suspects in a crime, she said.

That practice intimidates the women working there, who fear they could be easily prosecuted if they fail to obey their bosses, Chantawipa said.

And since many of the women are paid under the table, they have little recourse if they are underpaid, much less the right to seek benefits like health insurance.

"Workers who work in the entertainment business do not count as employees, so they are not covered by labor laws," Chantawipa said.

"They should be treated the same as any company's employees -- they also work eight hours a day," she said.

--AFP 2006-09-05

Here we go again>>

[meemiathai]

Most girls working in the bars started out as nice girls. Many stay nice girls. Between having to put up with the crap from the owners of the establishments, societies' attitudes towards them, the crap from many patrons and the generally shitty life most have to live, I am amazed how nice they manage to stay on the whole. I respect them.

Edited September 7, 2006 by meemiathai

[meemiathai]

like the decision by police in the northern city of Chiang Mai to ban poles for dancing in strip clubs.

That is hypocrisy and stupidity of human beings to its limits.

[newworks]

legalize the ENTIRE industry; gogo bars, massage parlors, ALL of it. then regulate and tax both the owners AND the prostitutes (yes, i know...pipedream), then use the tax revenues to provide proper healthcare and workers' rights for the girls AND improve all the sub-standard schools for all these upcountry kids so that they don't have to sell their bodies and their self-esteem to support their families any more.

nah, makes too much sense!

[newworks]

by the way, 300,000 a vast underestimate.

Edited September 7, 2006 by newworks

[sabaijai]

by the way, 300,000 a vast underestimate.

Your source?

[fruittbatt]

Most girls working in the bars started out as nice girls. Many stay nice girls. Between having to put up with the crap from the owners of the establishments, societies' attitudes towards them, the crap from many patrons and the generally shitty life most have to live, I am amazed how nice they manage to stay on the whole. I respect them.

While I agree with you on most points, why is it necessary to distinguish between sex-workers and other workers? Why re-invent that sorry old Victorian distinction between "Madonnas" and "Whores", nice girls and naughty ones?

As workers in an illegal industry sex-workers in Thailand are in greater need than women workers in other industries. They need redress against employers and clients who rip them off and coerce them into unsafe sex practices. Illegality is a big part of the problem, as it not only gives employers and clients unreasonable powers, but also stigmatizes the women who work in this industry.

[Backpack_thailand]

We are talking about " bargirls " the fact she works in a bar doesn't make her a prostitute, try to get your facts right, there is many "nice" girls working in the bars

[kat]

[

Most girls working in the bars started out as nice girls. Many stay nice girls. Between having to put up with the crap from the owners of the establishments, societies' attitudes towards them, the crap from many patrons and the generally shitty life most have to live, I am amazed how nice they manage to stay on the whole. I respect them.

An excellent point.

legalize the ENTIRE industry; gogo bars, massage parlors, ALL of it. then regulate and tax both the owners AND the prostitutes (yes, i know...pipedream), then use the tax revenues to provide proper healthcare and workers' rights for the girls AND improve all the sub-standard schools for all these upcountry kids so that they don't have to sell their bodies and their self-esteem to support their families any more.

nah, makes too much sense!

I know this makes sense to a lot of people, and is on the whole a very rational argument, and one that I do not find disagreeable. However, and I'm not sure about this, as no one really is, I think legalization in this country might have a different effect than legalization in say, Amsterdam.

I think there is a very real problem with lack of diversification of lucrative job paths for the poor in this country, and there is already a rapid increase in the amount of young people who are entering the industry, either as bargirls/boys or freelancers. This is a serious social problem that may have different rammifications for Thailand than it does for Europe.

Secondly, if the industry is legalized and formalized, prices will increase. What do think that will do to the underground market of human trafficking? It seems like it might get worse.

don't know; just speculating.

[Guest endure]

What about the barboys? Don't they deserve their employment rights too?

[meemiathai]

don't know; just speculating.

You have changed, kat. More lovely.

[meemiathai]

What about the barboys? Don't they deserve their employment rights too?

Everyone does.

But who cares?